Thomas Jackson loses 64lbs, says SPLX inspired him

Thomas Jackson also known as TJ, who lives in California has been supporting the SPLX brand for quite some time now and even has the SPLX logo tattooed on himself, which blew our minds. Over the years we’ve encouraged positivity and making changes in your life whether it be fitness, careers, lifestyle, etc. Thomas started making a change to his life in 2015, he cites SPLX as his inspiration to do so and hasn’t looked back. We asked him what made him want to make the change…

“I was just very much out of shape and felt like crap. I was uncomfortable in just about anything I wore because of how terrible I felt about my appearance and size. I got a personal trainer and he really helped get me to a place where I wanted to go to the gym, and once I started feeling better and dropping weight the switch flipped in my head and it was a complete lifestyle change for me.”

TJ is a permanent fixture at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) shows and has been a long time fan. With having the SPLX logo tattooed on himself, he also got married to his wife Adrienne wearing a SPLX polo shirt.“Honestly I think I found it because I’m a huge mark for ZSJ and Kyle and saw them wearing it at PWG. I think Zack was the first dude I talked to about the brand and he basically told me all about it and how. As far as what made me a fan it was the team as a whole I think. The designs are amazing, clean and rad but the team are all guys I’m huge fans of. After meeting Zack, Kyle, and Adam in person at shows and them being such genuinely amazing humans it made me want to back the brand that much more. Then after I started getting into fitness and lifting they were all super encouraging and supportive when I’d talk to them at PWG shows.”

As well as citing SPLX as his inspiration to work out, he also hails SPLX athletes Dave Mastiff and Kyle O’Reilly as key inspirational figures for him.“I’ve always said since I started lifting and stuff that I want to look like Kyle and be as strong as Dave. Honestly they’re both just very awesome dudes. I follow Dave because of his lifting stuff and his strongman stuff. It’s amazing how strong and agile that dude is. Kyle has been a huge inspiration for me just with how he trains and how hard he works”.

SPLX athlete Dave Mastiff was taken back by this “Anybody can say they will make a change but not just anybody can do it. You have to want it as bad as you want to breathe and only you can do the hard work to make the changes you desire. So for every day you woke up and thought you couldn’t do it but pushed yourself through it regardless, you can now reap the rewards of our hard work. Congratulations”

Since Thomas has been on his quest to lose weight and get in shape, he’s lost a considerable amount of weight and feels better for it“So far it’s around 64 Lbs and lost around 10% in body fat while gaining some muscle in the process. My main goal now is I just want to gain muscle and get stronger. I really got hooked on power lifting so I’ve been going to this amazing gym in Orange County called OC STRENGTH CLUB and they’ve been helping me get stronger”.

We asked him if he had any words of wisdom for anyone who wants to go down a similar path“Honestly with how unhealthy and lazy I was if I can do this anyone can. I hated the idea of the gym before. Now it’s all I think about. The biggest piece of advice I can offer is just sticking with it. Finding a trainer to get you started and on the right track is a HUGE help. Once you’ve stuck with it and start feeling and seeing results it’ll be your favourite thing to do. It just takes time and I know people don’t see results right away and give up…because I did that for a few months when I first started. The more work you put in the more you’ll get out of it. And honestly lifting makes so much more of a difference than just doing machines or cardio. That was what really got me hooked on going to the gym”

TJ also wanted to add“since day one of meeting him Zach has been a huge motivator for me. He’s constantly told me he was proud of me and how far I’d come. Every time we talked at PWG he’d give me some sort of motivation wether he realized it or bit. So I can’t thank him enough for that. Also my wife has been my biggest advocate and has cheered me in and told me every day how proud she is of me. I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it without her support”.

We couldn’t be more humbled by this, and the fact he cites SPLX and its athletes as inspiration is truly inspiring to us. As a thank you to TJ for letting us interview him for this great story, we’d like to offer 3 months of sports physio with our in-house physiotherapist Iestyn Rees for any niggling injuries or assistance. If you’re on a similiar journey or would like to do something like this, we’d love to hear from you at hello@suplexapparel.com